The present invention relates to a process for reducing the staling of bakery products, such as baked goods and doughnuts, when these products are stored under ambient conditions.
The staling of bakery goods, including baked goods of various types, has been a serious problem in the distribution of these products. For the most part, staling has been improved by the addition of various additives to reduce staling and extend the shelf life of these products. While this approach has been partially successful, it would be highly desirable to develop a procedure for reducing the staling of bakery goods without the need for these additives.
The freezing of bakery goods has been described in various publications including Bakery Technology and Engineering Chapter 20, "Freezing of Bakery Products" by Donald K. Tressler and a specific procedure for the freezing of baked bread goods is described in U.S. Pat. 4,366,178. The use of freezing to minimize the staling of bread is specifically described in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 31, No. 3, p. 362-368 (1939). The focus of these publications, however, is to reduce the staling of baked goods by keeping the baked goods frozen until such time as they are sold, or used by the consumer. These publications indicate that the staling action can be stopped as long as the products are frozen. The sale of frozen baked goods represent, however, an uneconomical alternative to the sale of baked goods which are normally distributed, maintained and sold at room temperature.
It is therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a process for reducing the staling of bakery products including without limitation bread, muffins, cakes, doughnuts, and bagels which are distributed, maintained and sold under ambient conditions.